:: The Center of Happiness ::

“Sometimes we strive so hard for perfection that we forget that imperfection is happiness”

– Karen Nave

Perfection, if it exists, is fleeting. Contrary to what the media and fashion industry industries lead us to believe, there is no perfect shape or size, job, car, or place to live. Life comes with its flaws and highlights, highs and lows, twists and turns, and this is what’s perfect! It hones us, and beckons us to be all we are meant to be.

Life is an adventure in which we only genuflect at perfection. One of the few things in life we can count on is change. Life does not stand still and being perfect would actually be pretty boring. After all, life is an evolutionary journey full of mistakes that are designed to grow us, and new opportunities that stretch and expand our understanding.

It is better to strive for excellence rather than perfection. No two trees or flowers or sunsets are the same. True and durable happiness does not come from reaching a destination of perfection seldom achieved, but from the savoring and learning from the interesting and insightful small steps along the way.

MY SHORT-CUT TODAY:
Today I appreciate the perfection in imperfection. I celebrate the diversity that surrounds me and makes life interesting and beautiful. I strive for excellence rather than perfection, letting mistakes teach me, trusting that my unique gifts are worthwhile, meaningful, and a contribution to life’s evolution.

“If the only prayer you ever said was ‘Thank You’, that would be enough.”
– Meister Eckhart

Humble and authentic gratitude is indeed a powerful prayer. To be grateful for not only big things, but simple blessings can carry us beyond challenging circumstances with a greater sense of contentment.

One of the greatest heartaches we feel is a lack of acknowledgement. Too seldom are we fully appreciated for our contributions and not often enough do we appreciate the gifts of others sent our way. Yet, it is these simple gestures that grows true happiness and expands our sense of worth. Gratitude, given and received, heals these wounds of ‘not enoughness’ and paves the path to a greater happiness. It is an essential key to happiness.

Gratitude must come from the heart and should not be offered as a way to initiate something being offered in return. The amazing thing is that when a heart-felt ‘thank you’ is given without strings, it magically offers a huge return. Giving really is receiving.

MY SHORT-CUT TODAY:
Today I offer thanks in abundance. I notice each kind gesture, big and small from the sweet scent of fresh flowers and an available parking space to business referrals or expensive gifts. I am grateful not only for the gifts and kindness I receive from others, but know it is important that I be grateful for myself, knowing and appreciating my worth.

“The central method for achieving a happier life is to train your mind in a daily practice that weakens negative attitudes and strengthens positive ones.”

– The Dalai Lama

Old habits die hard. Many of us hinder our happiness, trapped by the habit of negative thinking. Our unconscious focus is on all that seems not to be working. This expands that reality, and causes us to miss the simple wonders that far out-number any obstacles and irritations.

Look around you for 30 seconds and memorize everything that is the color brown. Now, close your eyes, and call out all the things that are the color… green.

It is far easier to recall all the things that were brown because we placed our focus there. It would be far less productive to have you recall all the things that were green.

Whether amidst a big or small crisis, find your way back by looking for the blessing. There is great value in retraining your focus to notice all that is working around you, life’s simple pleasures and tender moments, than to belabor and exaggerate those things that seem askew.

MY SHORT-CUT TODAY:
I breathe deep today, and trust that even in challenging times there are ultimate blessings. I sort my thoughts and refine my vision to see miracles even in simple things, especially in simple things.

“Even on the right track, you get run over if you just sit there.”

– Will Rogers

The year has begun with renewed enthusiasm. There are times we are meant to sit still in silence and conscious inaction, however too often we sit still as a default position. Not making a decision is making a decision. We wait for life to happen to us, thinking ourselves to be a victim of our circumstances, rather than embracing that life is an interactive, co-created experience where happiness is possible regardless of the circumstances.

We must listen within and become more discerning about when our action is meant to be stillness or when we are called to lean into life by putting our rear on the line.

Instead of total inaction, the other extreme is when we start the New Year with exaggerated expectations. We don’t listen to our inner guidance and we take such big steps forward that we soon run out of steam. We ‘should’ on ourselves to a breaking point and soon return to our ‘do nothing’ position, drained of energy and hope.

Somewhere in between over and under doing is our hope for happiness. Small steps can be as valuable as big leaps of faith. A minor course correction based upon our intuition gets many a ship or plane to the intended destination.

It is better to strive for excellence, rather than perfection, for perfection is only a fleeting moment in time if not an illusion all together. Lean in the direction of your dreams, even if the steps are small, but don’t just sit there unconscious. Believing is seeing, so visualize and feel what you want in your bones. Savor and celebrate every step, for the journey is more important than the destination.

A Conscious Intention for Happiness:
Today I dare to clarify what it is I want. I lean in the direction of my dream and feel it in every fiber of my being. I accept my worth, believe I have talents to offer, and with each conscious step, big or small, I celebrate my freedom to choose.

“Most people are searching for happiness. They’re looking for it. They’re trying to find it in someone or something outside of themselves. That’s a fundamental mistake. Happiness is something that you are, and it comes from the way you think.”
                         
 – Wayne Dyer, speaker and author

… is the motion that runs
from the eyes to the tail of the dog,
it is the mouth that inflates the lungs
of the child that has just been born.

It is the singular gift
we cannot destroy in ourselves,
the argument that refutes death,
the genius that invents the future,
all we know of God.

– Lisel Mueller

Rhonda’s comments:

The New Year leads me to a deeper awareness of how I can so easily get in my own way, and a quite wonderful way, at that! It is I who prevents my own happiness by letting my thoughts get the better of me and doubting infinite possibilities. I have only occasionally rampled here at the Center of Happiness - processed out loud - and I plan to do this more often and more regularly in the months to come… as a place to discover what I want and how best to shape my work. I am always open to your insights as well, for it is often in thinking out loud that we hear the wisdom in our ouwn words and discover our own insights, and stretch when we listen listen and grow with others. So, I have hope for this New Year, and am giving more confidently, listening more consciously, and noticing more fully the amazing wonders.

In Joy it all,
Rhonda

– Oraibi, Arizona, June 8, 2000

You have been telling people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you
must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are
things to be considered. . . .

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?

Know your garden.
It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for your leader.

Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, “This could be a
good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and
swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on
to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer
greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let
go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes
open, and our heads above the water.

And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in
history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For
the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the one wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word ’struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary. All
that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
– George Bernard Shaw

Most of us miss out on life’s big prizes. The Pulitzer. The Nobel. Oscars. Tonys. Emmys. But we’re all eligible for life’s small pleasures. A pat on the back. A kiss behind the ear. A four-pound bass. A full moon. An empty parking space. A crackling fire. A great meal. A glorious sunset. Hot soup. Cold beer.

– Anonymous

“Peace comes not from the absence of conflict, but from the ability to cope with it.”

– Unknown Source

“Peace is not won by those who fiercely guard their differences, but by those who with open minds and hearts seek out connections.”
– Katherine Paterson

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

–Max

The world is moved not only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but
also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.

– Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer

To be happy for an hour — take a nap.
To be happy for a day — go shopping.
To be happy for a week — take a vacation.
To be happy for a month — get married.
To be happy for a year — inherit a fortune.
To be happy for a lifetime — help others.